“As a consumer, when you make your choice and purchase a garment, we want you to be an educated consumer who can make an educated and empowered choice. Right now, the information that is needed is not readily available; you have to proactively look for it and there are often contradicting messages out there.” Charney Magri, co-director of a short film called ‘Catwalk to Creation’ (14 Sep).

BRANDS & RETAILERS

Despite burning unsold goods, Burberry is included in Dow Jones Sustainability Index: “Despite admittedly burning unsold goods to preserve its image of exclusivity, British fashion house Burberry has been included for the fourth consecutive year in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, in the “Textiles, Apparel & Luxury Goods” category. The index aims to guide investors who want to take sustainability practices into account” (14 Sep).

Burberry has finally ditched fur – but faux fur has its own problems too: “Burberry’s decision has been hailed as a cause for celebration by animal rights organisations, with PETA announcing they’re doing ‘cartwheels’ at the news. However, not everyone is rejoicing. The International Fur Federation (IFF) say they’re ‘disappointed’ with Burberry’s decision because, they say, a move to using faux fur is not environmentally friendly” (07 Sep).

NEWS & REPORTS

UN Human Rights Council adopts key report on exposure of workers to toxic substances: “A new report adopted by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) says that the exposure of workers to toxic substances is a global challenge that can and should be considered a form of exploitation. The HRC is calling states, business actors and international organisations to urgently eliminate or minimise workers’ exposure to these substances” (17 Sep). [Ed’s note: the report – Report of the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes – can be downloaded here.]

Sustainable pricing is crucial for our [Bangladesh] apparel industry: “Bangladesh’s apparel manufacturers appreciate their customers' tough trading conditions, they themselves have suffered huge cost increases—in raw materials, gas, electricity and water supply, minimum wages for the workers, and the costs incurred with upgrading factories to make them safer. In spite of those cost pressures, buyers are putting more pressure on us to cut our prices still further” (17 Sep). [Ed’s note: by Mostafiz Uddin, managing director of Denim Expert Ltd.]

35% of microplastics released into oceans from synthetic textiles: “Each time an item of clothing is washed up to 700,000 microscopic fibres make their way into our oceans, where they are swallowed by sea life and become incorporated into the food chain, potentially ending up on our plates, according to a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers” (14 Sep). [Ed’s note: you can read the report, Engineering Out Fashion Waste, here.]

Here’s how to find high-tech outerwear that doesn’t harm the planet: “Make no mistake: fashion as a whole is guilty of pollution. However, with technical apparel — outerwear in particular — it’s especially problematic. High-performance garments often come with highly damaging manufacturing processes, as many of those crazy tech-ninja jackets are, at the end of the day, made from plastics” (14 Sep). [Ed’s note: companies referenced include Arc’teryx, Adidas, Patagonia, Columbia, The North Face, Polartec, Mission Workshop, Tilak, Fjallraven, Jack Wolfskin, Vollebak, and Cotopaxi.]

New Zealand bans mulesing mutilations of sheep: [Ed’s note: from PETA.] After receiving pressure from animal advocates, lawmakers in New Zealand have passed a strong law to protect sheep from abuse. The country just banned mulesing, a painful procedure performed on sheep on wool farms in which large chunks of flesh are carved out of their backsides. And they won’t have to wait for long: The law goes into effect on October 1” (13 Sep).

French law to ban unsold garments will be passed in 2019: “It’s confirmed. The law on the prohibition of the disposal or burning of unsold garments will be proposed in 2019. “This measure will be enshrined in the law along with the other measures of the Roadmap for the Circular Economy and the transposition of the Framework Directive on waste” (11 Sep – in French).

Govt mulls more benefits to RMG exporters after wage hike: Tofail: “Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed on Sunday said that the government was mulling over more benefits for the country’s readymade garment sector so that the sector could remain competitive in the global market as the worker wages increased by 51 per cent but the prices of apparel products remained unchanged in the international markets for a couple of years” (17 Sep).

No scope for discontent with wage hike, says state minister for labour: “State Minister for Labour Mujibul Haque says there is no scope for discontent over the announcement of the Tk 8,000 minimum wage for public sector garment workers. “We have the support of the labourers, so we believe there will not be any problems,” he said. “We announced the wage increase in accordance with the prime minister’s commitments in order to curb dissatisfaction”” (16 Sep).

Let Accord operate till task ends: “Some 153 global investors representing $2.8 trillion in assets have called for the continuation of the Bangladesh Accord for Fire and Building Safety (Accord) until it completes its mandate and government agencies are able to assume its responsibilities” (16 Sep).

Every garment unit must have a complaint committee: “Maheen Sultan, Team Leader of Shojag Coalition and member of Naripokkho, shares with Naznin Tithi of The Daily Star the major findings of their recent survey on sexual harassment and violence against women in the RMG sector” (14 Sep).

Chinese garment factory refuses to rehire 30 workers: “Chinese-owned Fu Yuen garment factory will not rehire 30 workers it sacked last month for violating factory rules and actions that decreased its output, factory officials said. … The workers, who were members of the factory labour union, were dismissed without warning by the management on August 20, triggering a strike by about 300 union members” (13 Sep).

Myanmar delegation to India to learn about addressing sexual harassment: “Fair Wear Foundation organised a study visit for stakeholders from Myanmar to engage with representatives in India on ways to address violence and harassment in the workplace. The goal of the trip was to introduce relevant stakeholders from Myanmar on India’s legislative framework and its application in garment factories” (10 Sep).

Pakistan

‘Serious measures needed to ensure worker safety in Pakistan’: “‘Despite passage of six years since the tragic industrial incident of Baldia Factory fire in 2012, the working conditions in almost all factories of Pakistan are still the same and workers are performing their jobs in dangerous working conditions’” (10 Sep).

MANUFACTURERS

My Chemical Guide: “Seven questions [by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work] will address your current practices with regard to dangerous substances and chemical products. If improvements are needed, you will immediately get tips on what you need to do and on how you can do it as easily and efficiently as possible” (September).

Circular urgency at the Dornbirn-GFC: “In an extremely stimulating and entertaining presentation at last week’s Dornbirn Global Fiber Conference (GFC) in Austria, Edwin Keh, CEO of the Hong Kong Research Institute of Textile and Apparel (HKRITA), explained the background to the rapid development of a garment-to-garment recycling system for the H&M Foundation and Novetex” (17 Sep).

Appalachian’s USAS chapter works to bring Alta Gracia apparel to University Bookstore: “Students in Appalachian State University’s chapter of United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) worked with the University Bookstore and Office of Sustainability in spring 2018 to offer a line of collegiate apparel made by Alta Gracia, a Dominican Republic company known for offering its employees a safe, healthy workplace and a living wage” (14 Sep).

The environment’s new clothes: biodegradable textiles grown from live organisms: “Now a small but growing group of innovators is turning to the genius of nature in an attempt to put wastefulness and pollution in the apparel industry out of fashion, right at the source: They are using live organisms to grow pieces of biodegradable textiles, creating environmentally friendly materials in the laboratory – and are even producing some near-complete items without the need for factory assembly” (14 Sep). [Ed’s note: article references TextileLab Amsterdam, Kukka, and Faber Futures.]

01 – 02 October, Toronto: Wear Conference: “WEAR [provides a] forum to share examples of both local and global leadership, best practices and innovative solutions with the North American apparel and textile industry.”

18 – 19 October, Milan: 5th Bluesign Conference: “TraceAbility. NetworkAbility. TransformAbility. Stitching the blue way together … gathering of all the Bluesign system partners and broader sustainability community for an opportunity to exchange ideas.”

15 November, London: Leather & Sustainability in Retail Conference 2018: “Join BLC, ILM and leather industry professionals at this year’s half-day leather sustainability conference which covers sustainability and innovation around raw materials for leather, uses for waste materials within the leather value chain and circular economy. The conference will also be considering new materials coming to market and look at transparency and traceability of production within existing processes.”

Disclaimer: The Fashion Sustainability Week in Review (FSWIR) is a twice-weekly roundup of sustainability news items relevant to the fashion, apparel, textile and related industries. The views and opinions expressed in the FSWIR by individual authors and/or media outlets cited do not necessarily reflect the position of GoBlu International or any individual associated with the company.